Power and wealth bring fragrance

Despite the howling cold wind, Wei Yuan's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was churning with turbulent emotions.

Musha.

This middle-aged fisherman was actually a martial artist!

This was the first time he had ever met a martial artist other than himself and his master's wife.

Little did they expect to encounter two masters of internal martial arts on a blood-stained coast guard ship, amidst a group of vicious thugs.

Not to mention, the seemingly ordinary middle-aged fisherman in front of him possessed an aura as deep as the ocean, clearly indicating that he had cultivated his martial arts to a level that was beyond his reach.

How is that possible?

Wei Yuan was shocked, but his feet didn't budge. He stared intently at the middle-aged fisherman, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hoarseness.

"You...are also martial artists?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged fisherman's faint smile deepened. He stood with his hands behind his back, the sea breeze lifting the hem of his tattered fishing clothes to reveal a dark leather belt around his waist. Standing amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, he exuded the composure of a grandmaster.

"What, are you surprised, young man?"

He spoke slowly, his tone unhurried, as if he were having a casual chat.

"To be honest, I never expected to meet a like-minded person in this tiny place like Deepsea City."

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over Wei Yuan, a knowing glint in his eyes.

"When my men sent me the footage of you at the Changfeng Building, I felt something was off. An ordinary person, even one of the so-called elite detectives in the police department, couldn't possibly escape unscathed from such an ambush, let alone cling to a drone with their bare hands."

"I initially thought you were just a tough guy with some martial arts skills, but it wasn't until you boarded the ship just now that I truly sensed the ceaseless flow of martial energy within you."

The middle-aged fisherman smiled, a smile that carried a hint of mutual appreciation.

"At such a young age, you can already circulate your martial arts skills with ease, even to the point of solidifying them on your body surface and suppressing the spear in my hand. Young brother, your foundation is much more solid than I imagined."

He paused, then lowered his voice again, conveying utmost sincerity.

"Talent is rare. I'll say it again: surrender."

"If you're willing to come with me, you'll have everything you could want—wealth, riches, and everything else. Money, women, status—all the things worldly people dream of, I, the ouroboros, can give you."

"and--"

His gaze sharpened, and his tone became more serious.

"You will also greatly benefit from the path of martial arts."

The moment he finished speaking, the middle-aged fisherman's aura suddenly surged.

The aura, as deep as the ocean, was no longer restrained. It poured out like a flood bursting its banks, and the invisible force swept across the deck, forcing the surrounding fake coast guards to retreat several steps. Even the surging waves on the sea seemed to be stunned by this force, and paused for a moment.

Wei Yuan was the first to be affected.

An indescribable sense of oppression washed over him, as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on him, or as if undercurrents were surging in the deep sea, squeezing his body from all sides.

The martial energy within his dantian surged uncontrollably, his meridians roared with power, and his muscles and bones were stretched to the limit, barely managing to withstand the crushing force of this aura.

Even so, he still felt a tightness in his chest, as if something was blocking his breath, and even his fingertips felt slightly numb.

Very competitive.

The middle-aged fisherman's martial arts skills were far more terrifying than he had anticipated.

He is now at the peak of the Ming Jin realm, which makes him a master.

The opponent had clearly already cultivated his martial arts to the point where it was solid, externalized, and formed its own aura; at the very least, he was at the late stage of the Dark Force realm.

The difference between the two is at least a whole level.

The middle-aged fisherman took in the seriousness on Wei Yuan's face, and his smile deepened. He didn't continue to press him, but slowly withdrew some of his aura, giving Wei Yuan a moment to breathe.

"How's it going, young man?"

"Follow me, and you will not only gain everything in the world, but you will also go much further in the path of martial arts. You should know very well that if you rely solely on your own exploration, you will probably find it difficult to make any further progress in this lifetime. But I, the Ouroboros, have a complete lineage, rare and precious materials, and resources you can't even imagine."

"If you nod, all of this is yours."

The sea breeze howled, making Wei Yuan's clothes flutter. The stench of blood on the deck was so thick it was almost unbearable. Corpses lay scattered at his feet, and blood pooled into streams, slowly flowing through the gaps in the steel plates.

On one side lies readily available wealth and a smooth path in martial arts; on the other is a desperate, futile struggle.

The choice is made in a single thought.

Wei Yuan slowly raised his head, his gaze sharp as a knife, fixed on the middle-aged fisherman's face.

His chest heaved violently a few times, and the martial energy within his dantian surged wildly, forcibly pushing back the oppressive feeling.

Then, he gritted his teeth and forced out a cold snort from deep in his throat.

Stop dreaming.

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear, carrying an unyielding stubbornness.

"Wealth and glory? A smooth path in martial arts?"

"Even if I, Wei Yuan, die, I will never associate with you blood-stained butchers. You think I'd be your dog, you heartless bastard? Dream on!"

He is not one to passively accept his fate.

Even if he couldn't win, he would rather die here than kneel down and surrender to a thug like the middle-aged fisherman who treated human life like dirt.

The smile on the middle-aged fisherman's face finally vanished completely.

He looked at Wei Yuan quietly, his gaze deep, as if he were looking at a stubborn stone.

After a moment, he suddenly chuckled, shook his head, and spoke with a mixture of regret and impatience.

"They really are asking for trouble."

He waved his hand casually, as if shooing away an annoying fly.

"Since you refuse to obey, then teach him a lesson."

"Hit him until it hurts, hit him until he's scared, then he'll naturally know what to do."

"Remember, leave him alive; I still need him."

As soon as the words fell, the eyes of the two internal martial arts masters at both ends of the deck gleamed, and their auras exploded.

Without the slightest hesitation, the two exerted force with their feet, their figures bursting forth like ghosts. One from the left and one from the right, they formed a pincer movement, heading straight for Wei Yuan.

At the same time, the fake coast guards around them roared and rushed forward, their guns spitting fire and bullets whistling through the air, weaving a dense net of fire that blocked all of Wei Yuan's escape routes.

"kill!"

"Kill him!"

"The boss said, just leave him breathing!"

Shouts of battle, gunfire, and the roar of waves mingled together, plunging the entire coast guard vessel into chaos.

Wei Yuan's eyes sharpened, and his martial energy suddenly surged to its limit.

He neither retreated nor hid.

Under this intense firepower and the combined attack of two internal martial arts masters, retreat meant certain death. Only by taking the initiative and using offense as defense could they carve out a glimmer of hope in this desperate situation.

"Well done!"

Wei Yuan roared and stomped his foot so hard that the entire deck of the ship seemed to tremble. He charged forward like an arrow released from a bow, brazenly braving the hail of bullets.

The martial energy surged within his body like a tidal wave, every inch of his muscles brimming with explosive power.

He moved with incredible agility, weaving through the dense hail of bullets, each step landing on a strange rhythm, barely avoiding vital organs.

"boom!"

Before one of the fake coast guards at the front could react, Wei Yuan punched him in the chest.

The martial energy penetrated his body, instantly shattering his sternum. He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the ship's side, spitting out blood. It was clear he was going to die.

Before Wei Yuan could stop his attack, a sharp gust of wind came whistling from the left.

The internal martial arts expert had already closed in and struck Wei Yuan's left shoulder with a palm.

The palm strike was fierce, the martial energy concentrated in the palm, and it even emitted a faint sound of air explosion.

Wei Yuan's pupils contracted. He had no time to dodge, so he could only suddenly lower his shoulder to deflect the force and at the same time block with his right arm to take the blow head-on.

"Boom!"

A muffled thud, like a heavy hammer striking a drum.

Wei Yuan felt a surge of immense power flow into his body through his right arm, causing his blood and qi to surge and his entire arm to go numb instantly. He involuntarily took three steps back, leaving two shallow footprints on the steel plate beneath his feet.

What powerful palm strike!

Although this internal martial arts master's cultivation level was not as high as that of the middle-aged fisherman, it was not much different.

Meanwhile, another master of internal martial arts had also attacked, his fist whistling as he aimed straight for Wei Yuan's face.

Attacked from both sides, caught between enemies on all sides.

Wei Yuan gritted his teeth, frantically circulating the martial energy within his dantian to forcefully suppress the surging blood and qi.

He suddenly ducked, narrowly avoiding the punch, and at the same time, he pushed off with his feet, his body darting out from the gap between the two like a fish.

But as soon as he managed to get away, a hail of bullets came hurtling towards him.

"Bang bang bang!"

Wei Yuan spun around quickly, barely dodging several bullets, but one bullet still grazed his left arm, tearing open a bloody gash from which blood gushed out instantly.

The pain, however, only fueled Wei Yuan's inherent ferocity.

He licked his lips, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

"You want to spare my life?"

"Then let's see if you have the ability!"

Before he finished speaking, he charged out again, his figure disappearing into the crowd like a ghost.

Martial energy surged within him, each punch and kick carrying destructive power. Wherever the wind from the punches struck, the fake coast guards were sent flying, their bones broken and tendons snapped.

On the deck, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and screams of agony filled the air.

Two internal martial arts masters followed closely behind, attacking from the left and right, their palm strikes and fist shadows weaving into an impenetrable net that trapped Wei Yuan within it.

The middle-aged fisherman remained standing in the same spot, hands behind his back, quietly watching the chaotic battle.

His gaze followed Wei Yuan's figure closely, his admiration growing stronger, yet also carrying a hint of cold cruelty.

"Struggle, little one."

He muttered to himself, his voice swallowed by the sea breeze.

"When you're exhausted, when the pain is excruciating, you'll understand that in the face of absolute power, your backbone is utterly worthless."

A strong wind howled over the sea.

The wind picked up, and the waves surged.

The bloody battle on the deck has only just begun.